Jealous
by fireblazie
Summary: Winry's a cute girl. So it's no surprise that when Ed and Al come home to visit, she's surrounded by a bunch of her suitors...


Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Jealous

Winry was beginning to have suitors. This was a fact that Edward had picked up the last time he'd gone back home. It hadn't been that bad, really, just one or two boys knocking on the door, bringing Winry bouquets of fancy red roses and asking if she'd like to go out. Winry would decline, politely, and Edward would smirk, a feeling of pure pride sinking into his chest.

"Why don't you go out with them?" he'd ask, maybe a little snidely.

She would shrug. "Not my type," she'd answer, casually.

And he'd question, perhaps a little timidly, "What **is** your type?"

She'd pause, and then a smile would light up on her face, "Someone who'll always come back to me."

---

He didn't really understand. But then again, Winry had always been a little odd, more than the rest of the other girls. Edward had never had a whole lot of experience with the opposite sex, anyway. And besides, he'd known Winry since they were kids, and back then she'd always been like "one of the guys" to him.

This was beginning to change.

Ed would have had to be completely blind not to notice the certain "changes" that were happening to his childhood friend's body. It wasn't like he was looking on purpose, of course not! It was just one of those details that would have been impossible to miss.

From then on, it had become impossible to think of Winry as "one of the guys" ever again.

Guys had tough, calloused skin. While Winry's fingers were calloused from all her handling of tools and working with automail, her skin was still pale and soft. Her eyes were larger and rounder than guys'. She didn't smell like a guy, either. Her scent was intoxicating. Like poison. It didn't let you go.

And... although hell would freeze over before he'd ever admit this to anyone, even Alphonse, she was, really, rather cute. So it came as no surprise when other boys started to notice as well, lining up at her door, requesting for dates. Edward watched, whenever he came back for some automail repairs or upgrades, with narrowed, irritated eyes. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Winry would crack and eventually give in to one of them. Because no matter how much of an automail geek she was, she was still a girl, and surely she would enjoy going out on dates with guys.

Picturing her out on a date with one of them nearly sent him into a coma.

"Brother," Alphonse asked, innocently, "why are you so worried?"

"I'm not worried!" Ed spat out, savagely.

"Then why do you glare at those guys like they're bottles of milk?"

"Because it's annoying!" groaned the Fullmetal. "Constantly knocking at her door going, 'Ohh, Winry, I think you're gorgeous and beautiful and I love you. Will you go out with me?' God, Al, it's sickening! And you know what? I bet she's actually loving this attention!"

"All girls would," Alphonse remarked, shrugging his heavy metal shoulders.

"But Winry's not an ordinary girl," Edward muttered. "She's a machine geek. She's supposed to stay trapped in her little automail shop, working on her automail, never catching a glimpse of those stupid idiots."

Al scratched at his head. "Then, that way, the only guys she'd ever see would be you and me?"

Ed nodded, emphatically. "That's right."

Alphonse wondered if he should say what was really on his mind. His brother was dangerous, and even though he loved him and even though he was known throughout the world as the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric could, quite frankly, be excruciatingly dense.

Well, either way, he'd be stuck with a whining sixteen-year-old.

"So you want to keep her for yourself?" Al questioned.

"Well --" It was rather amusing to watch Ed's tanned face turn into a flaming hot red, "AL!"

Times like these, Alphonse was glad that his brother couldn't see the giant smirk creeping up on his face. He settled back against the wall and drifted in and out of consciousness as Edward rambled and sputtered about how "insane" and "crazy" he was and that he would never want to keep a "machine geek" like Winry for himself.

---

Edward scowled. Wanting Winry for himself. What a load of crap.

Winry was... Winry! It was impossible to think of her in any other way. The same old automail-loving girl; same old wrench-throwing, violent childhood friend of his...

Who was beginning to have **suitors**....

Which was really pissing him off....

What did those idiots see in Winry, anyway? Sure, she had pretty, shiny hair. It was blonde, he thought, a nice, light blonde color. And, she had nice, pale, soft skin which was nice to look at sometimes. She had large, clear eyes that looked directly into his when he talked, and she had a soft voice that sent shivers down his spine when she was in a good mood. When she wasn't, her voice got rather loud and irritating..

But she was loyal to him. And she genuinely cared and worried for him, making special trips to see him just so she could repair his automail.

Not to mention, she was really pretty.

If he were drunk enough, he might even call her beautiful.

Suddenly, Ed sat straight up in bed, as if electrocuted. His eyes were wide, and there was true fear on his face.

"Damn," he murmured, clenching his fists. "Damn."

---

"Winry," Pinako called her granddaughter the next morning, after breakfast, "would you mind going out and buying some groceries?"

"Sure," the blonde replied, taking the list from her grandmother's outstretched arm. She whistled at the length of the list. "There's a lot on here. I don't think I'll be able to carry them all myself. One of you guys want to come with me?" She turned to the Elric brothers.

Ed glowered at the ground, still angry from last night.

Alphonse sweatdropped at his older brother's behavior, and raised a hand. "I'll go, Winry --" he began when a loud knock at the half-open window cut him off.

"Hey, Winry!" A dark-haired, tanned boy at about the age of seventeen grinned flirtatiously at her. "I couldn't help but overhear. I'll be glad to help!"

Winry's grin faltered slightly. "It's all right. Al's helping --"

"No, **I** am," Edward suddenly announced, stepping closer to the blonde automail mechanic. "She doesn't need your help." Possession cut into his voice.

"You?" Apparently, the dark-haired boy didn't take the hint. "But you're so short. You won't do any good."

A sadistic grin crept over the Fullmetal Alchemist's face.

Afterwards, Pinako frowned, sent Ed and Winry on their way to the grocery, had Al lift the unconscious body, and scrubbed at the bloodstains on the wall.

---

"Oh, Ed," Winry sighed. "Why do you have to be so violent?"

Edward was carrying four of the five bags of groceries they had already bought. He narrowed his eyes. "The guy was asking for it. Calling me a stupid puny little bug."

"He only called you short," his childhood friend chastised him.

The boy pointedly ignored her. "Don't you get annoyed?" he questioned her. "Having them lined up in front of your door, asking you out all the time? You'd think they'd get the hint. You've been rejecting them since Day 1."

"They're guys," Winry replied, nonchalantly. "They're idiots."

Ed shot her a Look.

"Excluding present company. I guess." Winry smiled at him suddenly. "Why are you so concerned?"

Why was everyone asking him that? Annoyance flitted through Edward's eyes. "I'm not **concerned**. I'm just curious."

Silence. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smiling at him, still. "Well, it does get annoying sometimes. But I can't do anything to stop it. I can't go hit all of them with a wrench. We have enough bloodstains around the house as it is."

Ed scowled. "You sure don't have a problem hitting **me** with a wrench."

She laughed. "It's because you're **special**."

Edward sulked, staring straight down at the ground. Then there was silence, although if Edward strained his ears he could hear Winry humming something.

This was...nice, he decided, reluctantly. Just being here. With her. If he didn't have to leave soon, he could do this with her everyday, and they would both be happy.

The dream ended when another one of **them** showed up.

"Winry!" This time, it was a brown-haired, muscular teenager with an extremely tight shirt who was trying too hard to disarm Winry with his smile. "Need any help?"

"No," Winry replied, pasting a forced smile on her face. "It's okay. Really. Ed's helping me."

Edward flashed his most intimidating glare. His golden eyes were piercing and promised pain if he didn't leave soon.

Unfortunately, Winry's new suitor didn't take the hint. "Look at this," he chided, "he's making you carry something. Give it to me. I'll carry all of them, no problem. Then, afterwards, maybe we can go to that restaurant over there..."

Ed snapped. Dropping the groceries on the ground with a slight thud, he stormed off in the opposite direction. The other boy didn't notice, unsurprisingly, but Winry did, and her eyes softened as she watched his retreating back.

And then they widened as he stormed back, clutching something in his left hand.

She barely had time to react. Edward, in an unknown display of strength, slung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him, holding her tightly and handing her a bouquet of sunflowers. Her cheeks flared up, and she didn't dare look up for fear of revealing her embarrassed state. Meanwhile, Ed glared haughtily at the taller, brown-haired suitor of hers.

"You get the picture yet?" he snarled.

The brown-haired boy had the decency to look embarrassed. Muttering incoherent apologies, he shuffled off, looking awkward. Once he was out of eyeshot, Edward removed his arm from Winry's shoulder.

"You didn't have to do that," the automail mechanic told him, but the look on her face told him she was glad he had.

"It was annoying," Edward said, making excuses. "And I saw the look on your face. Utterly repulsed."

She smiled at him, turning him into complete mush. "Thank you."

His face colored, and he mumbled something about going home.

---

Eventually, the time came to leave. Edward packed his things quietly, and outside the room, he heard Alphonse thanking Pinako and Winry for their hospitality. He smiled, slightly, Al had always been the more polite one.

Soon they were out on the front porch.

"Thanks again," Edward told them, gruffly.

"No problem," Winry answered. Just as he turned his back to leave, she called out, "Ed!"

He turned to face her. Her eyes were searching.

"Will you come back?"

"Will I.." Edward furrowed his brow at the complexity of the question.

_"Why don't you go out with them?"_

_"Mm... not my type."_

_"Then what is your type?"_

Oh.. 

Oh..

Edward's lips twisted into a smile, a rare, true smile. Daringly he reached out and brushed his fingers against her palm, "Yeah. I promise I'll come back. Gotta keep those suitors of yours away, right?"

Winry laughed.

The suitors had stopped coming. Undoubtedly, the news of Ed and Winry's "relationship" had spread across the entire town, crushing their hopes.

Well, that and the fact that Edward had transmuted a nice, big, shiny, pointy spear every time a boy had come within ten feet of Winry.

_end_

LOL. Had fun writing up a jealous Edward. Lots of inspiration from "Ring" by Icka M. Chif. That's a Detective Conan story, though.


End file.
